WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Do national policies, laws, or constitutions make education compulsory?

Guarantees to compulsory education can make clear that government has an obligation to provide education, and support families in prioritizing education for all of their children

Compulsory education can be specified by an age range, a number of years, or a level of education during which children are required to go to school. We have looked at each of these factors, as well as national information on the length of each level of education and the standard age of beginning school, in order to create comparable information on the age until which education is compulsory. Note that in some cases, source text uses authoritative language to assert the parents’/guardians/ responsibility to ensure children of a certain age are enrolled or attending school; these cases were categorized as a guarantee to compulsory education.

Not compulsory means that there is no explicit guarantee to compulsory education in the country’s constitution, legislation, or non-legislative policy commitments.

Countries

Bhutan - Not compulsory

Botswana - Not compulsory

Ethiopia - Not compulsory

Papua New Guinea - Not compulsory

Solomon Islands - Not compulsory

Bangladesh - Primary only

Benin - Primary only

Burundi - Primary only

Cameroon - Primary only

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Primary only

Equatorial Guinea - Primary only

Iraq - Primary only

Lesotho - Primary only

Malaysia - Primary only

Micronesia, Federated States of - Primary only

Singapore - Primary only

Eswatini - Primary only

Tuvalu - Primary only

Uganda - Primary only

Zambia - Primary only

Afghanistan - Through start of secondary

Albania - Through start of secondary

Andorra - Through start of secondary

Angola - Through start of secondary

Armenia - Through start of secondary

Australia - Through start of secondary

Austria - Through start of secondary

Bahamas - Through start of secondary

Bahrain - Through start of secondary

Belarus - Through start of secondary

Belize - Through start of secondary

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Through start of secondary

Brunei - Through start of secondary

Burkina Faso - Through start of secondary

Cambodia - Through start of secondary

Canada - Through start of secondary

Chad - Through start of secondary

China - Through start of secondary

Comoros - Through start of secondary

Cote d'Ivoire - Through start of secondary

Croatia - Through start of secondary

Cuba - Through start of secondary

Cyprus - Through start of secondary

Czech Republic - Through start of secondary

Denmark - Through start of secondary

Djibouti - Through start of secondary

El Salvador - Through start of secondary

Eritrea - Through start of secondary

Estonia - Through start of secondary

Finland - Through start of secondary

France - Through start of secondary

Gabon - Through start of secondary

Georgia - Through start of secondary

Ghana - Through start of secondary

Greece - Through start of secondary

Greenland - Through start of secondary

Guinea-Bissau - Through start of secondary

Guyana - Through start of secondary

Haiti - Through start of secondary

Hungary - Through start of secondary

Iceland - Through start of secondary

India - Through start of secondary

Indonesia - Through start of secondary

Ireland - Through start of secondary

Italy - Through start of secondary

Jamaica - Through start of secondary

Japan - Through start of secondary

Jordan - Through start of secondary

Kiribati - Through start of secondary

Republic of Korea - Through start of secondary

Kuwait - Through start of secondary

Kyrgyzstan - Through start of secondary

Latvia - Through start of secondary

Lebanon - Through start of secondary

Liberia - Through start of secondary

Libya - Through start of secondary

Liechtenstein - Through start of secondary

Lithuania - Through start of secondary

Luxembourg - Through start of secondary

Malawi - Through start of secondary

Maldives - Through start of secondary

Mali - Through start of secondary

Mauritania - Through start of secondary

Mauritius - Through start of secondary

Moldova - Through start of secondary

Monaco - Through start of secondary

Montenegro - Through start of secondary

Morocco - Through start of secondary

Nepal - Through start of secondary

New Zealand - Through start of secondary

Nigeria - Through start of secondary

Norway - Through start of secondary

Oman - Through start of secondary

Panama - Through start of secondary

Qatar - Through start of secondary

Rwanda - Through start of secondary

Samoa - Through start of secondary

San Marino - Through start of secondary

Saudi Arabia - Through start of secondary

Senegal - Through start of secondary

Serbia - Through start of secondary

Sierra Leone - Through start of secondary

Slovakia - Through start of secondary

Slovenia - Through start of secondary

Somalia - Through start of secondary

South Africa - Through start of secondary

South Sudan - Through start of secondary

Spain - Through start of secondary

Sri Lanka - Through start of secondary

St. Lucia - Through start of secondary

Sudan - Through start of secondary

Suriname - Through start of secondary

Sweden - Through start of secondary

Tajikistan - Through start of secondary

Tanzania - Through start of secondary

Thailand - Through start of secondary

Timor-Leste - Through start of secondary

Togo - Through start of secondary

Trinidad and Tobago - Through start of secondary

United Kingdom - Through start of secondary

United States of America - Through start of secondary

Vanuatu - Through start of secondary

Yemen - Through start of secondary

Zimbabwe - Through start of secondary

Algeria - Through completion of secondary

Antigua and Barbuda - Through completion of secondary

Argentina - Through completion of secondary

Azerbaijan - Through completion of secondary

Barbados - Through completion of secondary

Belgium - Through completion of secondary

Bolivia - Through completion of secondary

Brazil - Through completion of secondary

Bulgaria - Through completion of secondary

Central African Republic - Through completion of secondary

Chile - Through completion of secondary

Republic of the Congo - Through completion of secondary

Costa Rica - Through completion of secondary

Dominica - Through completion of secondary

Dominican Republic - Through completion of secondary

Ecuador - Through completion of secondary

Egypt - Through completion of secondary

Fiji - Through completion of secondary

Germany - Through completion of secondary

Grenada - Through completion of secondary

Guatemala - Through completion of secondary

Honduras - Through completion of secondary

Israel - Through completion of secondary

Kazakhstan - Through completion of secondary

Kenya - Through completion of secondary

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Through completion of secondary

Laos - Through completion of secondary

North Macedonia - Through completion of secondary

Malta - Through completion of secondary

Marshall Islands - Through completion of secondary

Mexico - Through completion of secondary

Mongolia - Through completion of secondary

Namibia - Through completion of secondary

Nauru - Through completion of secondary

The Netherlands - Through completion of secondary

Pakistan - Through completion of secondary

Palau - Through completion of secondary

Paraguay - Through completion of secondary

Peru - Through completion of secondary

The Philippines - Through completion of secondary

Poland - Through completion of secondary

Portugal - Through completion of secondary

Romania - Through completion of secondary

Russian Federation - Through completion of secondary

Seychelles - Through completion of secondary

St. Kitts and Nevis - Through completion of secondary

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Through completion of secondary

Tonga - Through completion of secondary

Tunisia - Through completion of secondary

Türkiye - Through completion of secondary

Turkmenistan - Through completion of secondary

Ukraine - Through completion of secondary

United Arab Emirates - Through completion of secondary

Uruguay - Through completion of secondary

Uzbekistan - Through completion of secondary

Venezuela - Through completion of secondary